Product Description

Whether we do ministry in a faraway country or a nearby neighborhood, we experience the work that God is doing in lives of people around the world. Yet when we try to communicate those stories to our friends at home, we often fall flat.

How can we share what God is doing in a way that evokes the excitement He deserves?

To experienced journalists-turned-missionaries Jim Killam and Lincoln Brunner, the answer is straightforward: We need to be reporters - gathering information responsibly and crafting stories of God's goodness.

The next time you are challenged to answer the question, "What happened on your mission trip?" or even, "What is happening in your ministry?"...be prepared to answer well. Go Tell It will equip you to tell a compelling story that allows others to see God's work in the world.

Publisher's Description

Great stories are happening everywhere in the mission field and around the world. Sometimes these stories hit their mark, but more often than not these stories of God at work often stay hidden, are told ineffectively, or miss their audience completely.

This one-of-a-kind handbook from two journalists-turned-missionaries gives practical tips for the rest of us on how to "report" on what God is doing around the world. You don't need an expensive camera or an all-access pass to find and tell a great story. You just need a few trade secrets and the right questions to ask: "What is God up to? How can I get in on it?" The authors write with a special eye on and for the Christian missions world to help bloggers, missionaries, and world-travelers effectively report stories of God's work around the globe. From fundraising to newsletters to "Missions Sunday" presentations and everywhere in between, this book will help energize the Church for the Great Commission. Like the gospel writer Luke (a reporter in the Bible!), we need to give careful, detailed, credible accounts of what God is doing. And let His work speak for itself!

"The idea of journalists training missionaries to be storytellers is unique and can change the face of missions. Great stories engage people and can energize the church to more impassioned prayer and even more sending and going. I applaud Jim and Lincoln's work." - Jerry B. Jenkins

Author Bio

JIM KILLAM has been a journalist for more than 30 years. Over the years, that heading has included the titles of reporter, writer, editor, photographer, videographer and designer. He's worked for daily newspapers, magazines, websites and more. For 17 years he served as faculty adviser for the Northern Star, the daily student newspaper at Northern Illinois University, where he also taught journalism classes. Currently he's a freelance writer/editor and a part-time missionary journalist. Jim also is a passionate nature photographer. He and his wife, Lauren, live in Illinois and have three married children and a granddaughter. This is his third book. www.jimkillam.com

LINCOLN BRUNNER is a missionary journalist and photographer for ReachGlobal. Previously, he served a similar role for First Love International. Before that, he worked for four years in daily newspapers and six years in the trade press. Academic degree: B.A., communication (journalism), 1994, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Lincoln and his wife, Ann, were married in 1995. They have three daughters and live in central Wisconsin.

"God is working. So why aren't these stories being told?" ask authors Jim Killam and Lincoln Brunner in their new release, Go Tell It: How and Why to Report God's Stories in Words, Photos and Videos, published by Moody Publishers.

"Missions stories should be energizing the church about the Great Commission," they add, saying that they believe a "revival will happen again as a worldwide audience learns of what God is doing."

And with that, Killam and Brunner set out to show missionaries, both long- and short-term, how to publicize what God is doing through words, pictures and videos. In Go Tell It, Killam and Brunner cover things like: conducting interviews, observing security guidelines, storytelling techniques, photography and video equipment, composition basics, and more.

Overall, the book is a great guide for missionaries from a non-journalism background, helping them navigate the basics of interviewing and writing stories, or telling stories through photos or video. The authors offer a wealth of valuable information that it could take novices years to learn, and yet it's all compiled into one neat volume. Because Killam and Brunner took care not to use too much technical jargon, the book is easy for any beginning missionary story-teller to understand.

The authors end the book saying, "When we put ourselves out to report god's work skillfully, we do more than tell nice storiesâ€”we spread the gospel by glorifying God and putting Him on center stage." And that's exactly what this book does. It helps readers learn to tell God's story more effectively through the printed word as well as through photo and video.

I highly recommend Go Tell It to anyone wanting to tell God's story, not just missionaries. If you want to spread the word about what God is doing, this book is a great tool.

* Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for this review. However, the opinions expressed are my own.

About The Authors

Jim Killam has been a journalist for more than 30 years. Over the years, that heading has included the titles of reporter, writer, editor, photographer, Killamvideographer and designer. He's worked for daily newspapers, magazines, websites and more. For 17 years he served as faculty adviser for the Northern Star, the daily student newspaper at Northern Illinois University, where he also taught journalism classes. Currently he's a freelance writer/editor and a part-time missionary journalist. Jim also is a passionate nature photographer. He and his wife, Lauren, live in Illinois and have three married children and a granddaughter. This is his third book. www.jimkillam.com

Lincoln Brunner is a missionary journalist and photographer for ReachGlobal. Previously, he served a similar role for First Love International. Before that, he worked for four years in daily newspapers and six years in the trade press. Academic degree: B.A., communication (journalism), 1994, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Lincoln and his wife, Ann, were married in 1995. They have three daughters and live in central Wisconsin.